Uber offers free rides to establish its service, which the government calls illegal. Seems like a strategy we've seen before...

In December, South Korea filed a criminal charge against Travis Kalanick, CEO of the San Francisco-based startup, for allegedly flouting local transportation laws. Despite the government backlash, Uber operates in 290 cities around the world, and it raised $1.4 billion in investments last year, valuing it at $40 billion.